Living in Australia, I see this message all too often. At least Stephen Colbert’s crew makes it amusing.It’s terribly frustrating hearing about The BEST Video Ever, getting excited, clicking on the link, waiting for the video and buffer to be met with the message:

“Sorry, this video is not available in your location”.

I’ve seen it often enough, my brain translates it to “Begone, colonial filth!”.

The few months I was able to access Hulu via various means were wonderful – there was so much to watch. Alas, the underground tunnel was filled in and I was returned to the “colonial filth” message. All I could do was to curse those most privileged of peoples, U.S. citizens, for their video privileges.

I still fall into the trap from time to time of getting my hopes up; but The Colbert Report provided me with somewhat of a giggle rather than the gnashing of teeth and rending of garments. The customizing of the message to my location was a nice touch.

It reminded me that on our own sites, we really need to have more user friendly “computer says no” type messages. Don’t just tell people there’s a problem, offer a solution. If a solution isn’t available, offer an alternative.